Epilogue
by shrimpette
Summary: Set after the 700th chapter. Angst, salt, and sasunarusasu. One shot.


Naruto shouldn't have drunk so much. He was supposed to drop Bolt by the Ninja Academy in the morning, and then he had his hokage duties. It was irresponsible. But then again, it wasn't like Sasuke was always in the village. And he certainly didn't always want to meet Naruto for a drink.

They stayed in the hokage office because it was the only place they wouldn't be bothered by anyone else. Sasuke looked more miserable than ever.

"I'm being selfish," he muttered. His head was swaying from side to side.

"What do you mean?" Naruto questioned. He didn't even try to turn this conversation into a joke. He knew that he wouldn't be able to make Sasuke laugh anyways, and that in the worst case scenario the brunette would simply shut up.

"I'm always away from home, and Sakura has to take care of everything," he explained. "She's the mother, and the provider for our daughter. She takes care of home. I don't do anything."

"Do you quarrel about it?"

"Not really. But I can see that she's disappointed. I tried to be the husband she deserves but I'm unable to do it. Every time I try to actually work as a ninja, I feel that it's all wrong. It hurts me. And whenever I try to help with the housework, I feel… trapped, I guess. And my daughter probably doesn't even know me."

"You mean Sarada."

"What?"

"That's your daughter's name."

"I _know_ it's my daughter's name."

"But you never use it when you talk about her," Naruto noticed and looked into the eyes of the other man. They were pained. Why did he feel as if he failed in saving his friend?

"Then I'm even shittier father than I thought I was."

"It's not easy for me, too," Naruto confessed. He never told this to anyone. All of his other friends seemed to deal with parenthood just fine. It was somewhat reassuring that someone else also felt like a failure.

"Why did it end up like this?" Sasuke finally asked. He looked defeated.

"This is what we've always wanted. You wanted to restore your clan, I wanted to become the hokage."

"And yet something is missing."

"Maybe we weren't supposed to do the things we wanted. I miss our time as Team 7. And now you're never here, and Sakura and I don't even have time for a talk. We fell apart."

"I don't think I love Sakura," Sasuke said in a grave tone. One could hear the guilt in every word he uttered. Naruto felt strangely embarrassed. He practically gave up on her just so his best friend could lead a happy life. He and Hinata were good—sure, it wasn't especially passionate marriage but they were all right.

"…what do you want to do?" Naruto inquired fearing the answer.

"I can't do anything. It's not like I have anyone else waiting for me now, don't I?" he mused.

"You're not being fair with her," the blonde scolded the other man.

"…she knows."

"You told her?!"

"Of course I did. The fact that no-one is waiting for me doesn't mean that there's no-one else for her."

"…and what did she say?"

"That she knew from the beginning. And that she hoped that one day _something_ may appear. But it didn't."

"So what are you going to do?"

"The same thing I've did up till now. Spend my days away from the village."

"So you're not divorcing her?"

"She doesn't want a divorce."

"And you?"

"What I want doesn't matter right now. I've fucked up badly. I've still didn't repent for all the things I've did," Sasuke stated and got up. The conversation was apparently over.

"It's not your fault," Naruto said in a quiet voice.

"…there are times when I wish I died in the Valley of the End."

"Then I would have to die with you," the hokage noticed and smiled faintly at the brunette. He had these thoughts too. He didn't belong to this world.

Sasuke looked at him attentively.

"Would you still die with me?" he inquired. Naruto pondered over the question but he had to admit that the answer will never change.

"I would," he stated firmly.

Sasuke smiled at him in a way he didn't see him smile for a very long time.

"Thank you," he whispered and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Naruto felt empty inside. He felt empty inside for the last twelve years.


End file.
